Blood Magic
by Sira1
Summary: ON HIATUS-AU/Pre-series: 6 months before the vampires step out of the coffin, Sookie meets our favorite Viking at his club in Shreveport. After a night of seduction, blood and some unknown ancient magic, their lives go back to normal...or do they?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Prologue

Sookie Stackhouse followed her friend Tara through the doors of Insatiable, "the hottest club Shreveport has to offer," at least according to her friend. She had to admit, it was pretty packed and the thumping of the Rob Zombie was an interesting change from the classic rock and country that was played at Merlotte's.

They made there way to the bar, past a statuesque blonde wearing a long leather skirt and matching black leather corset. She was beautiful, if not a little pale in Sookie's opinion, and her eyes seemed to be following their progress through the crowd.

"What do you want, Sook?" Tara's yelling snapped her attention from the blonde to the bartender impatiently waiting to take their order.

"Gin and tonic, please," She yelled to her friend, before turning back to look for the woman. She couldn't explain the disappointment she felt when she found her absent.

"Here ya go, Sookie," She turned back to take her drink. The heat from the swarms of bodies made her down half the drink and made her forget about the woman who had caught her attention.

"Let's dance," she shouted, placing her drink on the bar and pulling Tara toward the dance floor.

The bump and grind that they did drew a lot of attention from the male patrons, as well as a few of the female ones, but strangely no one approached them. Sookie was able to take her mind off her curse and her new worry that somehow she was attracted to tall, blonde women. Out on the dance floor, with her shields up and a very strong gin and tonic coursing through her system, she was able to forget everything life had thrown at her.

"I'm gonna go get us drinks," Tara said in her ear. "Want to come with?"

Sookie shook her head, she was having too much fun and the music felt like it was pumping through her body. She saw Tara disappear into the crowd before closing her eyes and just feeling the music. She spun around, gyrating her hips, arms up over her head and opened her eyes. She almost stopped when she caught the blonde watching her from across the room. The woman was standing with her hand resting on the shoulder of someone Sookie couldn't see. She had a smirk on her face that probably should have given Sookie the chills, but it didn't.

She didn't know what came over her, but for some reason she started dancing harder, swinging her hips more and running her hands up and down her body. Her mind was going crazy with trying to figure out why she was acting this way. and towards a woman. Sookie may not of ever had a boyfriend before, but she had always known that she was attracted to men. But here she was, in a strange club in Shreveport, dancing her sexiest for a pale, blonde woman.

The woman's smirk grew and she leaned down to whoever was next to her, Sookie strained her neck to see, but she didn't have to. The crowd parted in that moment, revealing a man...no a god. He had long blond hair, like the woman, but his eyes are what really made Sookie's breath catch in her throat. Even from this distance, she could see the blue of them, hell they were practically glowing.

Sookie shook her head. It was then that she noticed that she had been moving steadily closer to the blond couple. Before she knew it she was right in front of them. She kept her eyes on the man's until he spoke, only he didn't speak to her, he addressed the woman standing next to him.

"Thank you, Pam," He said, his eyes never leaving her. "That will be all."

"Yes, Eric," The woman, Pam, said and then she was gone. Sookie broke eye contact with the man and watched as the woman maneuvered through the crowd without any trouble at all. It was as though she was parting the Red Sea.

"If she is more to your taste I can call her back," The man spoke in her ear, snapping her attention back to him. She was shocked when she had to tilt her head up to look at him. He really was a god. He was well over six feet tall and his features reminded Sookie of some of the covers of the romance novels she liked to read. Particularly the ones about Vikings, so that's what she dubbed him in her head.

When her brain caught up and she realized his words she blushed right to the roots of her hair. She shook her head and plastered her nervous, 'Crazy Sookie' smile on her face, before she spoke. "No, sir, I don't usually...um, she's not my type."

He laughed loudly, and she could feel it vibrating inside her. "That's the thing about Pamela, my lover, she is everyone's type."

His words, which she noticed he had spoken, not shouted to be heard shocked her back to herself. "Excuse me, but I am not your lover. I don't even know you."

"You could be," His voice was almost a whisper, but for some reason, she had no trouble hearing him. "If that is what you desire."

Sookie didn't know why but she felt something strong pulling her towards this tall, blond stranger. So caught up in the feeling, she could only dumbly reply.

"I don't even know your name."

"I am Eric," He said with a smirk. "What is yours'?"

"I'm Sookie, Sookie Stackhouse," she answered, distractedly. Her brain was trying to contain the giggles that wanted to erupt when he said his name. It just fit so well with her inner description of him. Eric the Viking, hmm. But then she remembered her manners. "Pleased to meet you, Eric."

"The pleasure is all mine," His words a little sharper on the word mine. Sookie saw that he was no longer looking at her, but over her head at something behind her.

She turned to see what had caught his attention. She fully prepared to find a beautiful woman, one that had taken his attention away. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened. However, what she saw confused her more than her recent attraction to Pam. There was a man a few feet away, his hair was dark and his skin looked extremely pale, almost like the color of chalk. He looked right at her and frowned before spinning on his heel and storming away.

"What was that about?" She said turning back to Eric.

"That was just William," Eric answered gazing into her eyes. "He is a bit of a drama queen, but nothing for you to worry about, my lover."

"There you go again," she huffed. She wanted to roll her eyes at him, but couldn't seem to break contact with his blue ones. She would swear that they were glowing.

"And again, I ask," He said looking deeper into her eyes. "Do you want to be?"

Everything inside of Sookie was telling her to call him on his forwardness, but she couldn't seem to stop her head from nodding. Maybe she was just tired of not having anyone interested in her. In Bon Temps, her hometown, she was kind of a pariah, the ones that she were interested in shunned her and the ones that had looked the other way from the town gossip were scared away by her brother Jason.

So when Eric held out his hand for hers, Sookie gave in. After all, how many 25 year old woman out there were virgins? If there were many, how many of them were virgins who could read minds? Probably none, right? So Sookie gave in to temptation, She took his hand, not even wondering why it was so much colder than her own, and allowed him to pull her towards the back of the club. Because really, how many virgin telepaths could say that they had been deflowered by a 'Viking' named Eric?


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter One

He had caught her scent the moment she had walked into his club. He could not see her from where he was seated but he could feel her. His interest was piqued. He was about to call his Child to him when he caught sight of her moving his way.

"Master," Pam said, bowing her head only slightly to him. They were careful, as always, of showing reverence to each other in public. That would soon change. In less than a year they would be going public with their existence.

"Pam," he replied, looking into the slightly dazed eyes of his Child. It was obvious that she had caught the new scent in the air. Eric was further intrigued by the newcomer and he had not even seen her yet. "Tell me what you have seen."

Pam did not seem surprised, instead she seemed quite pleased with herself. "She is quite a tasty morsel, Master. Blonde hair, magnificent breasts and very nice curves. You can see the innocence radiating from her, more so in this crowd. However, there is something about her, Master."

When she paused, Eric turned his attention to the puzzled expression on her face. It seemed that his Child was more perceptive than she should be for her age. He had converted Pamela for companionship a little over two hundred years ago. She was still considered young in the vampire community. It was a credit to his age, he was well over 1,000, that she had always progressed faster than the 'offspring' of others. She was a natural, evident by the lack of reaction by some of the older vampires throughout the club, as they seemed to be the only ones that had caught the scent. He wanted to know more.

"Continue," he commanded.

"The moment I saw her I knew you would want her," Pam spoke in a whisper. Eric had no trouble hearing her over the noise, his enhanced hearing guaranteed that, but she spoke softly so that none of the others could overhear. "I tried to glamour her, to bring her straight to you, but I failed. I maintained eye contact, unfortunately it had no effect."

"Can you feel it, my Child?" He asked her, even though it was unnecessary.

"I can feel her pull," she answered, her eyes glued to the dance floor. "Why do the others not feel it?"

"I do not know," he told her, but he intended to find out. She was out there dancing, he could feel her, feel the effect she was having on himself and Pam.

Eric compelled the crowd to shift and there she was. She was wearing a black dress that came to just above her knee. Her hair was pulled up, revealing the unblemished column of her throat. The sight, even from this distance, made his fangs want to come out. He reined himself in as she danced her way to him.

He dismissed Pam, all the while keeping eye contact with the blonde. It took all of restraint to keep from fucking her right there in front of the masses. Her scent was swirling around him, completely invading his senses. He tried his hand at glamour on her her, unsuccessfully. He should have sent her back into the crowd, it was dangerous to feed from a human that you could not make forget, but Pam had been right about the female. Her pull was strong, stronger than any he had ever felt.

There was something otherworldly about her and he wanted to investigate it further. It took convincing but he was able to get her to follow him. With her small hand tucked into his larger one, Eric pulled her towards his office. Once there he led her through a door and into the basement. He could feel her anxiety as they descended the stairs into the dimness of his underground sanctuary. He had had this room outfitted for the purpose of taking his meals here. For his kind feeding and fucking were very closely tied together, so it was much safer to take his prey here than to get accidentally caught with his fangs down in his office.

He watched her taking in her surroundings, her eyes widening when she saw the massive bed against the back wall. He fully expected her to panic, but that was clearly not the reaction she was having.

"Is this where you take all of your conquests?" she practically spat at him, her eyes flashing anger and...hurt.

"My lover, let me assure you, I have had no finer creature than you down here."

She seemed to bristle and preen all at once. He was once again intrigued by her. He walked over to the small bar to their right and fixed them both a drink, gin and tonic, even though his would remain untouched. When he handed the glass to her, she gave him a puzzled expression.

"How did you know what I drink?" Her voice held a touch of fear and amazement. He was finding her to be a contradicting puzzle and it only pulled him closer to her.

"Pam is a very good manager," he lied easily. In truth, he could smell the Tanqueray and tonic water on her breath. "She also has a very good memory for detail."

She seemed to accept his answer as she took a sip of her drink and perused her surroundings a little more closely. He noticed that she avoided looking directly at the bed. It would take effort, without the benefit of glamour, but he would soon have her lain out on that particular piece of furniture.

"How long have you owned this place?" she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts of her spread out under him.

"A few years," he replied while moving close to her. He set him untouched drink down on a low table and took hers as well, before pulling her into a hard kiss. His tongue brushed the crease of her lips and his hands moved down to cup her backside. She let out a little moan, giving him access to the warm cavern of her mouth. He deepened the kiss and pulled her body up so that her legs could wrap around his waist.

She pushed her hands against his chest and Eric backed off enough for their lips to detach, but not enough to let her go. She was breathing deeply and he mimicked her movements to give her the illusion that he too was out of breath. He would have to be careful with this one so as not to give too much away. His best bet was to keep her distracted. His lips met hers again while he maneuvered them towards the bed. When his shins hit the edge of the bed, he gently lowered her body, all without removing his lips from hers.

Eric kept one hand cupping her ass and let the other travel up her side to her breast. He caressed the firm mound, his thumbs running over the peak of her hardened nipple. Her soft moans deepened and Eric knew he had her. He removed his mouth from hers and slowly let his hand move her body to the tanned skin of her thigh. He trailed kisses and licks along her jaw line until he came to the smooth skin of her neck. He sucked at her pulse point, but quickly had to move down to the abandoned breast, for fear of giving himself away. He was using every ounce of restraint to keep his fangs up. The noises she was producing were making it harder for him to hold himself in check.

He almost lost all control when his fingers encountered the soaking wet fabric of her panties. He let out a groan and started breathing deeply, though it was not necessary, and sucked harder on her now exposed nipple. This mere mortal was so intoxicating that he was about to lose all control, much like the newly risen. He had to have her now.

"What are you doing?" She asked, as he started to move more down her body, her voice sounded far away even to his vampiric ears.

"Shhh, lover," Eric hushed her while he situated himself between her legs. He ran his tongue along the inside of her thigh, inhaling the scent of her arousal, he finally allowed his fangs to descend. Luckily the fabric of her dress prevented her from seeing the lower part of his face. "You will know no better pleasure, than that which you will experience here tonight, with me."

Oh, yes, Eric was a conceited bastard and he knew it. Of course, he had a millennia worth of experience to back his statement up. He flattened his tongue, dragging it over the saturated fabric of her black satin panties, teasing himself with her taste. He lost all control then, pulling her panties aside and repeated the action without the obstruction. She jumped at the sensation and Eric moved one hand up to grip her hip, holding her in place. With a slight growl, he proceeded to devour her dripping mound.

Her moans became louder, and Eric believed that the whole club would have been able to hear her, if not for the music pouring from the speakers. He slowly inserted one long, pale digit into her, the tip tracing the evidence of her innocence, the proof causing him to lose that last little thread of control. He removed the one finger, only to replace it with two, all the while sucking gently on the small swollen nub at the top of her folds. She started to whimper his name in between jagged breaths and even louder moans.

It wasn't long before her inner muscles started to tighten around his fingers and he knew she was almost there. Up until then he had been careful not to nip her with his fangs, but no longer. His thumb replaced his mouth on the engorged bundle of nerves, keeping up with the timing of his shallow pumping fingers, and he sank his fangs into her pulsing femoral artery.

Eric was stunned at the first taste of her blood, it was intoxicating. He took two deep pulls of her sweet elixir, and Sookie screamed his name as her orgasm crashed over her. He extracted his fangs, piercing his tongue on the tip of one and laving the puncture wounds. His blood would allow them to heal by the end of the night, leaving no evidence that they had even been there. He felt irrational anger that he had to cover up his mark, he pushed it away for now, it would be something that he would examine later when he was alone.

He licked any remaining traces of her blood from his lips, pulling his fingers from her still grasping hole, and sucking them clean to get rid of the metallic taste of her blood. She was dazed, her head lolling on the bed, but her mouth was curved into a small, satisfied smile. Eric moved up to his knees and pulled her so that he could easily remove her dress. He still had hours before daylight and he planned to enjoy this 'tasty morsel' for as long as he could. He might even find out why he, he remembered Pam's reaction to the human, and his Child were so drawn to her.

A/N: I wanted to wait to publish this, but I was too excited to wait. My muse has been on some kick lately and I need feedback. Please tell me what you think. I appreciate all criticism because I feel it makes me strive harder to please the people interested in reading the crazy shit my brain spits out. I am still writing more, trying not to fall behind, and these two chapters are the products of two nights. Hopefully I can keep it up...


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Two

For many years, Niall Brigant had honored Fintan's wishes, namely that he stayed out of the lives of Adele and their offspring. Even after Fintan was gone, he had complied with his promise, but he had never stopped watching. He had watched as Adele became a widow, he watched as his grandchildren grew and had children of their own, and he grieved as his two grandchildren lost their lives. The Faerie Prince was, after all, a man of his word and he did not interfere until now.

It was his great-granddaughter, Sookie, that made him see that one day he might have to break his word. It had become apparent at a very early age just how special the girl was. Her telepathy was both a gift and a curse, amazing and very dangerous. Niall was no seer but he did have one or two in his employ. There were forces at work out there that had the potential of putting his great-granddaughter's life at risk. So he did what only he could do...he watched and waited.

The world in which Sookie lived in was on the fast track for change. The vampires were planning to reveal themselves and it was foretold that his girl would become a pawn for a few of the power players in the supernatural world. Her gift would be sought after, putting her life in jeopardy on a number of occasions. Fear, turmoil, and betrayal were things that she would become well acquainted with. They were also the things that Niall wanted to keep her from the most.

As much as he wanted to keep her from harm, he knew that for him to step into the mortal realm, would put her in just as much, if not more danger. He decided that the best course of action was to acquire a protector for her. No mere mortal would do. Niall cast out a net, one that would pick up the signatures of the supernatural beings in the area. He was overjoyed when it came back that the Viking was in Shreveport.

While his first choice would not have normally been a vampire, this particular one was a formidable creature. He had been a strong warrior in his human days and after 1,000 years, he was near unstoppable. He would do nicely as her protector and mate.

When the time came it took very little magic to get Sookie to Shreveport and into the Viking's nightclub. A tweak to her friend's plans for a night out and everything began to fall into place. With a bit of magic, he covered any of the signs that his inquisitive great-granddaughter might have picked up on from the undead creatures. It wasn't hard to do, he only made sure that her perception was the same as a normal human beings.

He was fully prepared to use his magic to draw the two of them together, however, it seemed that he had not needed to. The two were drawn to each other instantly. Niall was delighted that his choice had been the right one, even though he held a little worry about the draw of the vampire's Child. That was a factor that he would have to research more later.

Niall actually laughed as he listened in on Sookie's thoughts as she took in the Viking's appearance. Her instinct was spot on in her description, even if it had come from the covers of those silly romance books that she and her Grandmother were so fond of. Now that the attraction was there, it was just a matter of getting his girl to follow her desires, instead of holding back. Something told him that it was wrong to manipulate the situation, and maybe it would have been if he had to do more than what he did.

It was so simple to lift Sookie's inhibitions, there really hadn't been much protest to begin with. The Viking was a little harder to work with, not because he was a vampire, but because he was a lot more of a survivalist than most. Under normal circumstances, a human that can not be glamoured, was a danger to the vampire's very existence. The Viking was not one to take such drastic chances. For him, he planted the impression that even though she was not under his glamour she was still a little under his influence.

When his work was completed, all Niall had to do was sit back and watch. He watched closely, making sure that Sookie was safe until the spell was fully in place. He was not the least bit bothered by the intimate scene playing out before him. It was all happening because he wanted it to happen.

Everything that he needed to complete the bonding between them was ready and now it was only a matter of timing. Tonight he would make sure that his great-granddaughter's life would be forever tied to the Viking's. Alone they were powerful, together they would be a force of which none had ever seen. A soft tinkling of bells informed him that the first process of his spell had been successful. He could see the magic swirling around them, even if they were too preoccupied to notice.

As Niall watched, the two fell into an exhausted sleep, also his doing, and he began the second part of the binding. This part was to be the most important of parts. He worked quickly, knowing that he could not keep the vampire sleeping for long without arousing his suspicions. He finished just as the Viking opened his eyes and turned his head to the girl next to him. The look in his eyes told Niall all he needed to know, it may not be a look of love, but it was a beginning.

Niall left the lovers to themselves for a while, shutting down the connection between his world and the mortal one. He had a couple of hours before he had to perform the final bit of the spell and he decided it would be better if he was rested. When Sookie was home in her own bed, Niall would open the connection and bring the rest of his plan to completion.

A/N: Okay, before you all decide to crucify me, let me assure you there was a reason for this chapter. I wanted to continue the sex scene as much as you wanted to read it, but my muse compelled me. Have no fear, though, because I am already writing the next chapter and if things go well I will be publishing almost immediately following this one. Thanks to all the wonderful reviews, each one has pushed me a little further in my goal to get this story out there.


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Three

She felt as if her whole being had shattered into a million tiny pieces. She lay panting, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. It was unlike anything that she ever felt before. She could admit that she had tried her hand at pleasuring herself and before tonight she had been pretty confident that she had done a good job. Now that she had some comparison, she realized that what she had been doing was the same as a truck rolling by and shaking your foundation a bit. The pleasure that Eric had given her was the same as an earthquake strong enough to topple a building. It would have definitely taken more than biting her lip to keep the sounds she had made from reaching the ears of her Gran.

Sookie would have probably dwelled on her thoughts more but she suddenly found herself kneeling in the middle of the enormous bed. Before she could fully comprehend, her dress was over her head and being tossed to the side. She could feel the blush creeping up from her toes to the top of her head and she moved her hands to cover herself.

"None of that, lover," he chuckled as he grabbed her hands and gently placed them at her sides. "You have a beautiful body, Sookie. You should not want to hide it from me."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to keep her hands down on the bed. "I've just never done this before."

"I know, my lover," Eric smiling down at her. He had moved off the bed and began to shed his clothing. Sookie's eyes widened and then shut when he started to undo his belt. "Sookie, look at me. Open your eyes, watch me."

So open them she did, just in time to see his zipper and the rest go down. WOW! That was the only thought going through her head. She heard a chuckle and she figured she had probably said it out loud, but she couldn't take her eyes off of it.

It looked very different than the pictures she had seen in the magazines Arlene had showed to her one night after too many glasses of cheap boxed wine. It was also a lot bigger than the ones in those pictures. At the time she had tried to picture putting something that big into her and she just couldn't do it. Now she was faced with this, Eric's got a whole lot more to his package, and when she tried to picture him putting that in her...

Her worry must have shown on her face, because before she knew it, he was in front of her. His hands were on her shoulders to steady her as he knelt on the bed with her. He used a little pressure and had her scooting back until they were in the middle. One of his hands moved to the back of her neck and the other moved to take her hand.

"Do not be afraid, my lover," he told her as he moved her hand to touch him. He began to guide her hand up and down the length of him. "I promise I will not hurt you. I will bring you only pleasure in this bed, never pain."

Looking into his eyes, Sookie saw only truth. She tried to open a connection, letting her shields down a little, but for some reason she wasn't getting anything from him. Maybe she was in sensory overload and for once she was glad. For once she could trust what his eyes and his words were telling her, instead of hearing the truth through thoughts. It made her feel almost normal.

Eric no longer needed to guide her hand, as she took over with a real enthusiasm, just like any normal girl would do when faced with such a man. She shocked herself when she grabbed the back of his head, pulling him down for a kiss, her tongue working her way into his mouth. His now free hand moved down and he ran his fingers through her slippery folds. Eric began to circle her nub with his thumb and inserted to fingers into her.

She moaned and clenched around him as she felt her walls stretching. When he inserted a third finger, she hissed from the pressure. Sookie felt as if she were flying. Her hand stroking his erection, his fingers moving in and out of her in little thrusts, and the passionate kiss, it was all too much for her. As the waves of her second orgasm crashed over her, she bit down on Eric's bottom lip.

She was rolling on a sea of pleasure, when the sweetest taste hit her tongue, and then it was gone. She was desperate to have that taste back and she blindly pulled his mouth back to hers, sucking his bottom lip until the sweetness was back.

When she bit him, he had been too busy concentrating on what he was doing. He trying his hardest to restrain himself, when all he wanted to do was thrown her down and fuck her. His fingers were busy stretching her, opening her up so that she would be ready to take his size. Between the heat of her tight little hole and her hand moving on his cock, he was barely paying attention to her teeth.

He pulled away when her pleasure came. He felt that she finally ready for him and he had every intention of showing her just how ready he was for her. His mouth was only inches away when she pulled him back. It was then that he tasted his own blood. He could feel her sucking on the wound, drinking down his essence. She had bit him and now she was drinking his blood.

Before even he knew what was happening he was on top of her, thrusting inside her. She had let go of his lip and let out a scream that echoed through the room. Eric froze, waiting for her to push him away, but she never did. Instead, she pulled him closer, her nails scratching his back trying to get him as close as possible. She was trying to move her hips against him and her hot little mouth was nipping and sucking at his neck.

Eric could not take a moment more. He began to move inside of her, slowly at first. The more he moved the more she encouraged him. The pressure built more and more, until they were moving together. He wrapped her legs around him, angling his thrusts and making her moan louder. He knew that she was getting close and he thrust himself a little deeper, twisting his hips, until she was meeting him halfway.

There was a buzzing sound in his ears, it was getting louder the closer he came to spilling himself in her. Harder and harder they moved together, her walls were squeezing him tighter, strangling his cock and then they were there. His fangs came down and they both struck at the same time. He latched on to her neck and she his, each taking mouthfuls of the others blood.

Eric collapsed on top of her, only to roll off to the side. He nuzzled her neck licking the puncture wounds as he felt the pull of sleep. It felt strange to him, as he knew that dawn was still hours away, but the pull was too great. He took one last look at Sookie lying beside him, her lips lightly tinged with his blood, before he closed his eyes. His last thing he heard was the light sound of bells off in the distance.

A/N: Whew, that's over. I'll tell ya, I love sex scenes and everything but they're bitch to write. This is the fourth one I've written and I can honestly say, it doesn't get any easier. I also have to say that I know I wrote it and everything, but am I the only one weirded out knowing that Niall was watching that... Thanks for all the reviews, guys! My muse and I are doing the happy dance from all of the wonderful feedback. Next up: Let's just say that sunrise is still a few hours away.


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: It took a while to get this chapter up and ready for your enjoyment. All I can say is TGIF. Congrats to any of you parents out there for getting through the first week of school. If it was anything like the clusterfu** that I went through you all deserve it, but now it's over and we can return to regularly scheduled ESN. Just not in this chapter, definitely the next though. This one and the next are all Eric, don't worry though, Sookie will get her turn. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Four

When Eric opened his eyes, his thoughts were a mess of confusion. Not once in all his years of being a vampire could he remember passing out after sex. He had not even thought it possible. If it was he was sure that the act would have to have been phenomenal, certainly not the rushed almost frenzied coupling that he had just experienced.

While he had enjoyed himself immensely, what Sookie lacked in experience she certainly made up for with her enthusiasm. However, there were reasons that he did not make it a habit of taking virgins to his bed. His goal when dallying with human women was on a strictly fuck and feed basis. Virgins were complicated. You had to be patient when using them. Patience was something Eric was usually lacking. Of course, there was always one exception.

He looked over at the blonde still asleep next to him. He had smelled her innocence the moment she stepped into his club, but it was the tiny aroma under that innocence that made him want her more than someone with the know how. It was only now, with a clear head, that Eric realized that he had made a grievous error.

Everything was about to change for his kind. There were plans to reveal their existence to the humans. All of their lives were in a precarious position, and tonight, Eric may have made way for their downfall. The invention of synthetic blood was to be their lead in. The human population was supposed to feel secure in the knowledge that his kind would no longer have to rely on the blood of the living. Tonight he may have given the humans a weapon against them.

Eric had never taken such a risk before. He should have turned away from the luscious temptation as soon as his glamour had failed. He should have offered her a drink and welcomed her to his club and then walked away. He never should have given in, but her pull was just too strong, even while she slept. Now there was something else. Sookie had bit him.

He should have killed her, drained her for her impertinence. It was against every vampire law there had ever been. Pam was his Childe, had been for over two hundred years, and she had only ever bitten him once. Biting a vampire without their permission was an offense punishable by death, and this human girl had bitten him not once, but twice. He had every right to kill her and he should, she was a danger to every one of his kind, but there was something holding him back.

He had a feeling that there was more to this girl, this Sookie Stackhouse. He would have sworn that he had heard bells when he drifted off. Eric looked at the girl, examining her closely. The marks on her neck had healed, leaving no trace, and he blew out an unneeded breath. His blood had taken care of any evidence in case she woke up and ran screaming about monsters in Shreveport.

He leaned closer to her, breathing her in. She was covered in him, his cum and his blood, and underneath it was that same intoxicating scent. He had thought, no hoped, that he would be able to detect something, anything to explain why he heard bells. If she was a witch he would be able to smell it on her, but there was no sign of the usual odors. It wasn't until Eric sat up, resting his elbows on his knees, that he caught the scent of something.

It was in the air, surrounding the bed. It was something familiar, but he could pull no memory of where or when he had last detected it. He looked back down at Sookie, who was now showing signs of waking. He began to feel a prickling at the edges of his awareness, and that is when it dawned on him. They had exchanged blood twice, and while it was not intentional, they had formed a bond. Now that she was waking, he could feel her. He lay back down and watched as she swam back to consciousness.

The first feeling that he got was one of confusion, which quickly turned to panic. Her eyes flew open and her head turned in his direction. He expected fear from her. What he saw was a deep crimson blush and a small smile. What he felt was a rush of anxiety and pure lust. None of these things were what he had been expecting. No matter, though, he had a couple of hours before dawn and he planned on getting to know Sookie Stackhouse very well before he retired for the day.

Really long A/N: First off, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They give me the fuel that I need to continue. I would like to answer a few of the questions that I have gotten, mostly because I feel it is important. The one I've gotten the most is if Sookie was a virgin? Absolutely. Will Sookie be the same as she is in the books? Not as much, truthfully I find her in the books and the show to be infuriating with her uppity indecisiveness. Pick a vampire already, particularly a tall blond. Will they be in love? Of course they will. Just not right away. I am too jaded to believe in love at first sight and that will travel over to my version of the characters. Will Sookie find out about Niall and the magic, or will it all be a lie? She'll find out eventually, but it will be a lot too late to do anything about it. Besides they are BOTH victims in Niall's game. That's about it for now, but if any more questions come along, I will answer them. If it doesn't give too much away.


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. I was so sick, I could barely move. Today was the first day that I've felt human since Monday. Naturally, the first thing I did was grab a long waited for cup of coffee and started working on thing chapter. I've had ideas running through my fever addled brain for a week and I needed to get some of the more sane stuff down. So here we go...

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Five

The first thing she noticed, before she opened her eyes, was the chill in the air. Of course, that was followed by the strange feeling of waking up naked, something that she had never done in her life. Her nipples were tight and pebbled and when she stretched, she could feel the soreness seeping through her muscles. When the realization hit her, her eyes snapped open to meet the blue eyes of the man lying next to her.

A quick glance around told Sookie that she was in fact naked and so was her bed partner. The blush feel felt creeping up her body didn't even have time to fully develop before he was on her. His lips were soft and cool, probably from the coldness of the room, and that neither of them had bothered with the covers.

That was her last coherent thought, as Eric's mouth moved from her mouth, across her jaw line to her ear. His body moved to cover hers as he nibbled and sucked on her ear. Her legs automatically separated, making room for his large frame, and curling to pull him closer. He raised up on his elbows, his gaze locking with hers, and his smirk said it all as he swooped down to capture her mouth. His lower half shifted, pressing closer to her most private place.

Sookie's mouth broke away from the kiss, her eyes widened and a moan unlike any other escaped her mouth. The most incredible feelings were coursing through her body, tiny bursts of pleasure made her legs tighten and her hips buck. A groan came from the man above her and she echoed it with one of her own.

Eric rose up, putting his weight on one arm and reached between them. His fingers stroked through her wetness and Sookie's whole body hummed with the pleasure of it. When his fingers paused, she forced her eyes to open, locking gazes with the glowing blue. He seemed to be silently asking her something. Words refused to form but her actions answered for her. Her hips bucked against his still hand, giving him the permission he was seeking.

His hand left her, but was quickly replaced with something so much more. As he pressed himself into her, she felt the need to close her eyes against the growing pressure, but she fought it. The expression on his face was drawing her in, he looked as if he was fighting with himself as his eyes rolled back and his mouth opened with a deep groan.

The feeling was unbelievable, but it was nothing compared to his words and how they affected her. His head was pressed into the space between her shoulder and her neck, and his voice was muffled and almost hissing out the most wonderful words she had ever heard.

"So hot...wet," he spoke and Sookie was sure that he wasn't even aware that he was speaking. She would have thought he was praying, if the bible was full of words like, tight and wet and sweet Freyja. She might have been upset if she hadn't recognized the obviously female name for what it was. His tone while saying it clearly matched her own cries of Jesus and the Holy Father.

Mini-explosions were going off inside Sookie. Eric was slowly rocking in and out of her and his mouth had moved back up to her ear. All of the things that he was doing to her made it very hard for her to think of anything but what she was feeling. So when he started whispering the strangest questions to her, she could do nothing but answer him.

"What are you, Sookie?" he asked, making his thrusts shallow. She tried to buck up, to force him to deepen his penetration, but he held her in check and asked her again. "What are you?"

"A...a waitress," she breathed out, moaning deeply as he thrust himself fully in.

"What else?" he asked, once again, shortening his thrusts. She must have looked confused to him, even through her silent begging, because he clarified his question a moment later. "Are you a witch? Have you cast a spell on me?"

While she thought his question was ridiculous, her pleasure addled brain compelled her to answer. "No, just a waitress."

Once again he began to move deeper and faster, drawing her body closer to the edge. When she heard his next question, she was so far gone that she answered without even noticing that he had not spoken the words. 'What have you done to me? There is something, there has to be.'

"I've done nothing to you." She moaned out. All she cared was that he was no longer torturing her, no longer changing the speed, no longer making her beg. "I'm just a barmaid from Bon Temps."

* * *

Eric stopped his movements completely when she answered the question he had only asked in his mind. He locked his eyes on her face, watching her expression as she frowned. He could feel her disappointment through the bond, but she had yet to react. Her eyes flew open to look askance at him.

His face must have said it all. Her eyes began to leak and Eric could not stop himself from trailing his tongue up to capture the salty tear. Her emotions were a jumbled mess. Guilt, humiliation and fear were at the forefront of everything coming through the bond. He felt the need to comfort her, to tell her that she had nothing to fear from him. He pushed it away. He was about to demand that she tell him everything, but she started talking almost immediately.

"I'm sorry," she cried quietly. "I try so hard to stop it and honestly this is the first time that it has happened all night. That's why I'm still here. If I had gotten any kind of thoughts from you before I would have left."

She was babbling and he was having a hard time understanding what she was telling him. She was also trying to push him off of her, but he kept his weight firmly on top of her and his cock was still planted deep within her. She wasn't going anywhere, not until he got all of his questions answered. After that he would have to decide whether or not he could allow her to live.

"Tell me everything," he demanded, trying to keep the harshness from his voice. If she was terrified she would be useless. "Start with how you were able to know what I was thinking, then tell me everything that you have heard from me."

"I can hear people's thoughts," Sookie answered. She had stopped trying to detach herself from him. Instead she closed her eyes while she spoke. "It's something I've always been able to do, even when I was a little girl. Everybody at home knows, even if they don't believe. To them I'm just 'Crazy Sookie.'

"It's why I came out to Shreveport with Tara tonight. I needed a night away from all the looks and whispers. I can control it sometimes, but it's real difficult in crowded places like this. Upstairs all I could hear were their thoughts, but down here everything was so blissfully quiet.

"I don't know why." Sookie paused in her explanation. Eric could feel how curious she was, she was looking at him differently, and there was hopefulness to her gaze now. "I wasn't really trying too hard to block you out, but you were silent to me. It was why I stayed.

"Believe it or not, Eric, but I'm not a 25 year old virgin by choice. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get close to someone, close enough to decide to have sex with them, when you can hear every thought they have about you?"

"You're a telepath?" Eric asked her. At her nod, he thought about it for a moment. "What did you hear from me?"

"You thought that I had done something to you," Sookie answered him. She was still confused by that, he could feel it. "What could I have done to you?"

He ignored her and focused on finding out just how to deal with this problem. Sookie started to try to push him away again, but like before he would not allow it. From what he understood from her and all the things that he had ever heard about telepaths, they were not able to read the minds of vampires.

None of it made sense. However, he could feel that she was telling him the truth. Everything in him was telling him to get rid of her, not to kill her, so much as get her out of his club and far away so he could think clearly. When he moved to do just that, Sookie's muscles clenched around his cock, not really reminding him of where it was still lodged but definitely making its' point.

The look she gave him, when he slowly started to move again, told him she was not really that happy about it. After all, he had just interrogated her while he fucked her. "I'm sorry, lover. You surprised me. To hear you answer my thoughts was very disconcerting."

"Welcome to my life," Sookie spat out. "What did you mean, about me doing something?"

"I was thinking what any man would think with such a bewitching creature in this very position," Eric lied easily, punctuating his words with the friction of his movements. He chuckled as he found one truth he could tell her. "You make me feel as if I'm under your spell."

Her smile and the small moan that she let escape told him that his flowery words had worked. He bent his head taking her nipple into his mouth, sucking until he could almost taste her blood under the skin. It popped from his mouth, as he rocked into her deeper. Her nails were digging into his shoulders and the sounds she was making were music to his ears.

Eric moved with precision, thrusting long and deep inside the girl. He gave each movement a little twist of his hips and was rewarded with clenching walls and a loud keening. He kept up the rhythm, enveloping her mouth with his and moving one hand down to tweak her swollen nub, until he was swallowing her screams. Her tight, wet heat sucking his cock further into her was enough to bring him right along with her.

He collapsed onto her thinking that he would get his answers from her, only not tonight. Eric knew without a doubt that this was not going to be his last encounter with Sookie Stackhouse. Before he was done with her, he would know every secret that the girl contained and probably a few that she did not even know about.

A/N: I'm working on the next one already. Very soon and we will find out just what Niall is up to. Thanks for all the reviews, my muse and I appreciate it.


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Six

Sookie was basking in the afterglow of her orgasm. Eric was laid out next to her, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. As much as she wanted to stay right here, the clock on the bedside table was telling her that she had better get her butt moving. The upstairs was quiet, meaning the club was closed, and she still had to figure out what had happened to Tara.

Knowing her friend, she figured she would get a call sometime around noon, apologizing for leaving her to drive back home by herself. It wouldn't be the first time that Tara had met some guy and forgotten all about Sookie. Glancing at Eric, she smiled to herself. This was definitely the first time she had done it. She blushed at her own thoughts of the evening, before cursing herself. She really had to stop doing that.

She stretched as she sat up, her body protesting the movement, forcing a groan from her. The noise drew Eric's attention to her, his eyes roamed her naked body, and that damn blush was back again. She smiled her brightest at him, before getting up.

"Is there a restroom I could use?" She asked, as she gathered up her clothes from the floor. "I've really got to get home and it would be nice to freshen up."

"Of course," Eric said. He rose up and pointed to one of the closed doors near the bar. "You should find everything you need in there."

"Thank you," she told him as she moved to the door. She looked over at him once more as she opened the door. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from her. She marveled at the muscles on his back as they flexed as he stood. She had to force herself to move into the small bathroom, knowing with a certainty that she could stand there and watch him all night.

With the door firmly closed behind her, Sookie was able to concentrate on everything that had happened. She moved over to the mirror over the sink, staring at her reflection, looking for any difference. She was amazed at the woman gazing back at her. Who knew sex was so good for you?

Her skin seemed like it was glowing and now that she was moving around she couldn't feel any of the soreness that she had felt moments before. She splashed some water on her face, getting rid of the remains of the little bit of makeup she had worn out. After taking care of her personal needs she began to put her clothes back on and took one last look in the mirror.

When she entered the main room she found Eric fully dressed and holding her sandals out to her. She smiled, taking them and sitting on the bed to fasten them on. She noticed that he was wearing a different shirt than before and that's when she noticed the bureau against the far wall. "Do you live here?"

The question was out of the blue and his slight frown confirmed that. She wanted to take the question back, but she didn't forget all of the strange questions he had asked her. Even before she had read his mind, he had been almost interrogating her. So now she refused to feel guilty about one simple question.

"No, I do not live here," he finally answered. "I keep things here in case I get caught up in business."

"That's smart," Sookie spoke automatically. She glanced at the clock again. It read 4:15 and she knew she really had to go. Gran would be getting up in a little over an hour and Sookie really didn't want to explain where she had been all night. Not that she liked to keep this from her Gran, but she also didn't want her disappointed in her. She looked at Eric, who was standing there watching her. She smiled and stood up. "I really have to go now."

"I will drive you," he told her.

"That's okay," she replied, moving towards the stairs. "I have my own car."

"I insist," he said. He came to her side and took her arm in his. "It is not safe for a young lady to travel such a distance by herself."

"But what about my car?" Sookie argued. His manners may have been impeccable, but she really didn't have the time for this. "I can't just leave it here."

"We will take your car," Eric informed her. He led her up the stairs and into his office.

"You can't stay with me," Sookie told him. She could hear the panicked tone of her own voice and quickly corrected it. "It's not that I wouldn't like to spend more time with you. It's just that I live with my Gran and it wouldn't be right for me to bring you home."

"Of course, my lover," Eric smiled at her. She had the feeling that he was amused by her antics. "I only meant that I would see you home. Pam can follow us in my car and return me to my home."

"Oh well, that's fine," she mumbled. When he chuckled she was sure that he was trying to get a rise out of her. She wondered how such a gorgeous man could be so frustrating, but she refused to play into his game. Her Gran had raised her better than that.

He led her out the door of his office, where they were greeted by Pam. Sookie was shocked at the difference in the woman. Gone was the black leather, in its place were a pair of khaki linen pants and a pink pastel sweater set. Once again Sookie felt the pull of this woman. It was like something was drawing her closer to the blonde. She found herself inching closer to Pam, but her movements were stopped by Eric's voice.

"I will ride home with Sookie," he told her. "You will follow in my car."

Sookie wanted to protest to the way Eric seemed to command Pam, but she didn't get the chance as she was led once again down the back hallway and out the door. There was a chill in the air and the shock of it had her shivering. The sundress that she was wearing wasn't enough to protect her from the early morning cold. She was glad that she had a sweater in the car and she hurried in the direction of the front parking lot.

She noticed as Pam headed for the bright red Corvette, parked next to the white BMW. They were the only two cars left in the back lot and since Eric told Pam to drive his car, she figured the Corvette was his. She wasn't much of a car person, but her brother Jason was, and she knew those cars would have him drooling with want. She also felt a slight pang of embarrassment thinking of Eric sitting in her little late model car, but she had pushed it away. She had worked hard for that car and she refused to be embarrassed by it.

When they reached her car she could almost see the scowl on his face as he held out his hand. She just stared at it, wondering what he was on about. He looked pointedly at the set of keys clutched in her hand and she realized that he wanted to drive.

"That's okay," she told him. "I didn't really have that much to drink. I'm good to drive."

"I insist," Eric replied. "You are tired and I am very used to long nights. It would please me very much if you would let me get you home safely."

Sookie had the feeling that he insisted on a lot of things, but he was right. She was tired and really not used to being up this late. The drive back to Bon Temps was a long one and she really didn't want to risk falling asleep behind the wheel. She unlocked the passenger door and tossed him the keys.

She slipped on her sweater before she slipped into the seat. Eric was already behind the wheel and Sookie fastened her seat belt, giving him a pointed look which he ignored and started the engine. Sookie turned the heater on full blast making her car shudder and groan. She caught the look of disgust that Eric shot at her dashboard, and she would have reminded him that he was the one who 'insisted' on driving her home, but at that moment she heard the smooth purr. Pam had pulled the Corvette up along side of her car, no doubt waiting for Eric to pull away, and Sookie could only let out a deep sigh.

They hadn't even hit the highway before the warmth coming through the vents was making her drowsy. Eric was silent beside her. He looked like he was in deep thought, his eyes glued to the road. She felt that she should say something, maybe draw him into conversation, but she was afraid that anything that came out of her mouth right now would make her sound like an idiot.

Because truthfully, now that she was away from his little basement love nest, she could really think about what she had done. She had given herself to a complete stranger. It was something that she was really having trouble wrapping her head around. She didn't regret it so much as she wished that maybe they had gotten to have a conversation before they took their clothes off.

But Sookie had made her bed and now she would lie in it. She refused to be one of those clingy girls, like the ones that followed Jason around. She was a lady and she could except that she was probably just a one night stand. He could have anyone he wants and he probably has a different girl every night. So she was preparing to walk away with an amazing memory and still keep her dignity intact.

They were getting on the highway and Sookie was keeping herself awake by sneaking glances at the man driving her car. She held in her laugh when she recalled her first thoughts on him. She had compared him to the men on the covers of her romance novels. She could practically picture him wearing furs and carrying a large sword. She giggled, which drew his attention to her and made him quirk an eyebrow her way. This only made her giggle louder. Sleep deprivation must have really set in.

"Do I amuse you?" He asked, watching her.

"No," she squeaked out quickly. "I'm just really tired and it's making me a little silly, is all."

He kept his eyes on her a moment longer, before turning back to the road. Sookie relaxed back into the passenger seat, keeping her eyes trained on the passing landscape instead of her handsome driver. The warmth and the long day caught up on her and her eyes closed without her even realizing it.

_The room was black as pitch when she opened her eyes. Sookie sat up, blinking quickly, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She wondered why it was so dark, even in the middle of the night her room was never this dark. When she was able to make out the outlines of furniture she knew that she definitely was not in her room, or anywhere in her Gran's house for that matter._

_She shifted on the bed, feeling the unfamiliar silkiness of the sheets beneath her naked body. That right there should have been her first clue. Never in her life had she slept without pajamas on. Her Gran raised her up to be a proper lady, and proper ladies didn't sleep in the nude. Sookie pulled the sheet up to cover her bare breasts and tried to make out more of her surroundings. _

_It was then that a small movement to her right drew her attention. The sheet was draped over his backside, leaving the long line of his back exposed. His pale skin practically glowed even in the darkness. His head was turned away from her and Sookie reached out, lightly running her fingers through his long, blond mane. She didn't know why she did it. Her hand seemed to move on its own._

_Her eyes searched the room for a clock, but found none. She could just make out what looked like a cell phone on the side table next to her and she reached for it. She pushed a random button and the screen lit up. The light blinded her for a moment, when she was able to focus on the display she frowned. The numbers told her it was ten past five, but what confused her was the two little letters after the numbers. They were telling her that it was PM when they should really say the opposite._

_Sookie glanced at the man lying next to her. He hadn't woken or even moved again since the first time. She took advantage of the light from the phone and looked a bit closer at the room she was in. She could just make out the end of the bed on Eric's side and the table next to it. There was a lamp, a red bottle that she didn't recognize. It almost looked like those bottles of iced tea that they sold in stores. There was also what looked like a white cordless phone, in this light, with a small red light, and another cell phone. _

_She disregarded all the other things on the table and focused on the cell phone. Why were there two? The light faded on the one she was holding and she pressed another random button. Her eyes took in the color of the phone, she could now see that it was pink, and when she looked at the screen she saw that she had opened the list of contacts. She stared, shocked, at the names on the phone. Gran and Jason, Tara and Sam, Arlene and even Hoyt. They were all there, all her friends and family. _

_There were also ones from her more recent acquaintances. Eric and Pam were on the list. But there were two that made her pause, one she didn't know at all and the other was just too strange to even acknowledge. Dr. Ludwig, while an unusual name, and someone she had never heard of, had nothing on the listing for something called 'Fangtasia'. Her finger hovered over the call button, debating on whether or not to push it, but she never got the chance. The phone slid out of her hand as she lost all control of her body._

_"Who are you calling, my lover?" _

_His voice pulled at her and her body followed. She felt herself slide down next to Eric, who engulfed her in his arms and kissed her until she was breathless. When he pulled away, he arched a brow at her and her mouth opened to ask him why he had taken her here instead of home. Of course, that was not what came out._

_"No one, baby," her body spoke. "I was just playing with the buttons, amusing myself until you got up."_

_"Now that I'm up," Eric said, and her eyes moved on their own down his body to see that he was indeed up. "Why don't you let me amuse you?"_

_"My thoughts exactly," Sookie's body said._

_"I love that you are here when I rise, my lover," He spoke to her as he moved on top of her, even while he smirked at his little innuendo. "You smell of sunshine and Jasmine. It gives me great pleasure that you are here and even greater pleasure that you greet me, each night, baring all to me."_

_As her body curled around him, he began to move, sliding his length against her. Sookie could feel every inch of their touching flesh, even if she had no control over what her body was doing or saying. Part of her wanted to panic and push him away so that she could figure out what the hell was going on, but the other part was starting to react to the feelings his movements were producing. _

_She allowed herself to get caught up in the pleasure of it all and before long she could feel the waves of her orgasm. Eric was calling out her name as his thrusts became faster. She was so close and she was shaking with the power of it all._

"Sookie!"

Her eyes snapped open, as his voice and the shaking of her shoulder, brought her back to reality. She became aware of many things all at once, however it was the throbbing reminder of her dream that was made it presence known the most. He squeezed her thighs together, hoping to relieve some of the pressure, praying that he didn't notice her movements. She was blushing, she knew that, but Eric didn't need to know why.

Instead of looking at him, she looked out the window, noticing that they were stopped at the gas station just outside of Bon Temps. He had woken her up for directions, not because she had spoken or moaned or anything. She breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't been caught having that kind of dream.

Sookie turned to Eric, smiling as she gave him directions and they started moving again. She focused on getting them to her house and the sight of the bright red sports car in the side view mirror. At least it was so late, or early that she didn't have to worry about any of the locals seeing it. She could have just imagined the gossip that would have gone around. She'd never hear the end of it.

She directed them to her driveway and almost sighed in relief when the familiar crunch of gravel was heard. The yearning throb had not gone away. In fact it had only gotten more intense. She really had to get inside and away from the six feet of temptation sitting next to her. She was out of the car as soon as it stopped. She hadn't even bothered to tell him to pull it around back.

Sookie watched as Pam pulled the Corvette behind her car and waited. Eric was beside her, handing her the keys and a business card. She took them in a daze and finally met his eyes. What she saw affected her more than she could describe, or maybe it was what she didn't see. There was a difference between the man standing in front of her and the man she had just dreamt about.

She felt disappointment trickle into her as she noticed the lack of emotions in his eyes. The Eric in her dream, his eyes had held so many different emotions, when he was looking at her. This one's held desire, but lacked the feelings that the other's had. Sookie felt herself pulling back from him and she knew she had better get inside before anything more could happen.

"Thank you, Eric," she said, letting her manners overtake the rest her emotions. "For seeing me home and well..."

She trailed off, blushing all the way to her roots. His smirk was back as he lifted her hand and placed a small kiss to her knuckles, before pulling her close to him. He kissed her then. It was hard and it was breathtaking. When he pulled away she was left gasping for air.

"Do not thank me, lover," he said. "It was a great pleasure to make your acquaintance. It would be an even greater pleasure if you would call me again if you ever have **need** of me."

She blushed at the double meaning of his words, even though her mind was reeling at the almost identical words from her dream. Sookie knew she in trouble and she was afraid that if she didn't get into the house quickly, she was gonna make as ass of herself. What would Eric think of her if he knew she was already dreaming about him? He'd probably laugh his head off.

"Thank you, again," She said, once again averting her eyes. She focused on Pam, who was staring straight ahead. She gave a little wave to the woman. Pam stayed completely still, and Sookie figured that she was probably tired and lost in her thoughts. "And thank Pam for me, please."

"Why?" Eric asked, his gaze now piercing into her.

"She was dragged away from going home until a lot later than she should have had to." Sookie told him, as she thought that Pam would have probably had her feet up and resting, after wearing those heels all night, too. "Because of me, she will probably not get home for another hour or more."

"I see," Eric stated, looking thoughtfully at her. "I will tell her."

"Okay then," Sookie said, stepping back from him. "It was nice to meet you. Y'all have a goodnight."

With that she walked up the stairs and into her house, only looking back when she locked up. Eric was already in the car and it was halfway down the driveway. She frowned at how fast they must have been going, but figured they were probably just in a hurry to get home. She set her keys down, along with her pocketbook, and trudged her way to her room.

With her door firmly closed behind her, Sookie shed her dress and slipping into her nightgown, too tired to take a shower. She ignored that little part of her brain that told her that she also like that she could still smell him on her, and she wasn't ready to part with it just yet. She was asleep almost instantly and before long she was back in that bedroom with dream Eric.

* * *

Niall watched as the Viking drove his great-granddaughter home. He smiled as he realized that the dreams had already begun, he hadn't expected her to fall asleep until she was home. The Viking had surprised him with his chivalry, by driving her home. He was already showing signs of protecting her.

He was almost gleeful by the time Sookie changed her clothes and crawled into bed. His plan was working better than he could have ever dreamed. Niall had been confident in his choice of a mate for Sookie. Most would have gone with a faerie, but the vampire had been the perfect candidate. His fierceness alone was known in many circles across the globe and even within the Realm. He would defend her at all costs once the spell and the bonding was complete.

Niall watched as his great-granddaughter began to dream. The dreams were almost as important as the bonding. They showed her bits of the future that she could have with him. The Viking would be with her every sleeping minute. Soon enough, she would begin to long for him and she would seek him out. He moved closer to the bed. He raised his hands to hover a foot over her sleeping form. He closed his eyes and began to weave the ancient magic.

It was a spell that was thought lost for thousands of years and with good reason. It was a spell that could have fatal results if the two parties involved were not connected somehow. It was a spell unlike any other and it would insure Sookie's safety for the rest of her life.

Niall opened his eyes to see the blue glow surrounding her. It had worked. His plans so far were a success. As long as nothing interfered with the couple until after the final bonding, everything he had strived to accomplish would be fulfilled.

A/N: So it's been awhile and I'm sorry. RL and a vacationing muse struck and left me working on this chapter little by little. Happy note though. This chapter is the longest that I've written so far for this story. It also brings us to a turning point in the story. Their first night is over and it's time for the story to progress and naturally the Niall mystery to the forefront. Thanks for all your support and reviews.


	8. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Seven

The moment Sookie turned away from him, he flew to his car. Pam was already in the passenger seat and his Corvette was down the driveway by the time he saw her door close, in the rearview. As soon as the tires met the pavement of the Parrish Road, Eric was already pushing the car's limits. The drive to Bon Temps, in Sookie's 'car,' had taken longer than he had expected. He had pushed that death trap as much as he dared once she had fallen asleep, but it still taken more time than he should have allowed.

Eric could feel his Childe's eyes on him, waiting for him to explain his strange behavior. He was really surprised that she had held her tongue this long. It was not every night, never in fact, that he had gone against his nature. He could feel her confusion and her wonder, but also her fear. She was right to feel all of those things, but even as insolent as Pamela could be at times, she knew better than to question him. He was thankful because he had no answers.

His actions tonight had placed them in danger of discovery. If they had to go to ground because of his need to possess the girl, they would lose everything. His position as Sheriff would be handed off to someone else and his club would fail without his or Pam's presence. Sophie-Anne would make sure he was brought before the Magister, especially at this crucial time. He would lose everything that he had worked for in the last hundred years, all for a forbidden fruit.

Eric shook his head in bemusement. Of all the humans that he could choose to feed from, he chooses the telepathic, backwoods barmaid with the most intoxicating scent. If he was smart, he would return to her house at sunset and take her out of the equation. The thought of sinking his fangs into Sookie and draining the life out of her gave him a twisted feeling in his middle. Just another in a long list of things that Eric would have to think about, but for now he put it all aside and concentrated on getting he and his Childe out of the path of the rising sun.

As he pulled into the driveway of his house, the security gates swinging shut behind them, he activated the button to open his garage. He breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief that they had made it with minutes to spare. Pam was already feeling the pull. She looked like Sookie had as she fought off sleep on the drive. Eric growled at himself for letting the human invade his thoughts at such a time. He pulled Pam from the car, carrying her in his arms, into the house and straight to the basement. At the door he entered a code into the small panel on the wall. The door swung shut just as the sun crested the horizon.

His age was the only reason Eric was still awake. Pam was out, literally dead weight in his arms. He placed her on his bed and began to undress her. She would not be happy that she had to spend the day here, she likes the freedom of her own house, but she would get over it. He placed her under the silk sheets on his bed before disrobing himself. The pull to sleep was getting stronger. He climbed in beside his Childe and closed his eyes. With all the thoughts and concerns he had about Sookie Stackhouse, Eric welcomed oblivion.

* * *

Sookie groaned as she pulled the pillow over her head. The sun shining through the window was too bright and the incessant knocking on her door was too loud. She scanned her pounding brain for a reason and what she found made her sit straight up. Her groan turned to a moan as her head swam and her stomach protested. Her only concession was that the knocking stopped. Her small glory was short-lived as her Gran informed her that church was in an hour.

"Yes, ma'am," she called out before her hand flew to her mouth. She scrambled from her bed and into the bathroom. Sookie emptied what little was left in her, the bile burning her throat. She vowed never to drink again. Splashing cold water on her face before glancing into the mirror, fully prepared to cringe from the sight, and cringe she did. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked exactly as she felt, hung-over and functioning on less than three hours sleep.

She started the shower running, as she brushed away the horrid aftertaste her vomiting had caused. The hot water was a blessing, it worked its magic, and at least it made keeping her eyes open a little easier. That might also have to do with the fact that every time she closed them, she was bombarded with images of Eric, making her blush at the indecent things that she had done. In the light of day, and a Sunday to boot, Sookie was having trouble understanding what had come over her.

The events of the previous night, some more blurred than others, were puzzling to say the least. Sookie had never acted so uncharacteristically in her life. Never in all her years, had she ever thought she'd be the type to have a one night stand. But apparently she was. She gave her virginity to a complete stranger and never even batted an eye at what that meant. She might not have cherished the thing. She certainly hadn't been holding out for Mr. Right, she had only been holding out for a man that didn't disgust her in the first ten minutes. So Sookie laid the blame on her 'disability.'

She got out of the shower, feeling refreshed but guilty. While she had been contemplating her actions, her Gran had been out there waiting for her. She hurried through her preparations. The makeup had been tricky, her usual minimal amount was upped due to the circles under her eyes, but she was satisfied with the end result. She chose a pretty tea rose colored sundress, hoping the color would help with her paleness, and ended with a pair of white flats. She was switching out her black purse for a white one, to match her shoes, when she came across Eric's business card.

Looking at the small card gave tingles. Her fingers itched to dial the number, to hear that deep, lust-inducing voice of his. She fought the urge, telling herself that he was only being kind in giving her the card. Most likely, if she were to call, he would tell her that while it had been fun, it had only been a onetime deal. With that she angrily tossed the little rectangle into her trash can and headed out of her room. She only made it halfway before she turned around and fished the card from the can. She placed it within the old jewelry box on her bureau and hurried from the room.

Church had gone well, even though Sookie would swear that every person in there knew just what she had gotten up to last night. It was ridiculous because she could hear what each one of them was thinking, but it didn't stop the blush that was constantly threatening to come out every time she thought of it. After church, she and Gran headed to the Wal-Mart to pick up some things for the house, before heading home.

She ventured into her room only once, to change into her suit, deciding that what she needed most was a few hours of sunbathing with the new book that she had picked up at the library. In the short time that it took her to change, her eyes flicked to the jewelry box a half-dozen times. She resisted the crazy pull the paper was having on her, practically running from the room, her book clutched to her chest. It wasn't until she was outside, her lounger adjusted properly and her suntan oil applied, that she realized that she had grabbed the wrong book.

In her hands was not the new James Patterson novel, no instead she found herself staring at a half-naked Viking, with a long sword in one hand and a beautiful woman draped over his other arm. She cursed her luck, but most of all she cursed that damn business card. She briefly thought about going back in and getting the right book, but the thought of having to force herself to stay away from the box, was just too much for her. Besides, she loved this book. She had read it many times already and knew the story by heart. She settled in and started reading.

When the author introduced the Viking, Sookie found herself picturing another man instead of the one on the cover. The longer she read the more she imagined that she was the heroine and Eric was her captor/love interest. When her tiredness finally caught up with her, she had flipped over on to her stomach and fell into a deep sleep.

_Sookie took in her surroundings. The more she saw, the more terrified she was. She was in the very dark parking lot of an unfamiliar strip mall. Her arms were being held by someone behind her, she could hear him laughing at her struggle to escape. He continued to laugh, even as she stopped struggling, her brain trying to process what she was seeing in front of her. _

_It was Eric, looking very much like he did last night, dark clothes and long blond hair. The only differences was that he looked pissed, very, very pissed and he was carrying a long sword. His eyes met hers and he seemed to be trying to ask her something, her head inclined in his direction. Sookie realized that she was once again a backseat driver in her own body. However, she didn't care at the moment. She was too fascinated by the sight before her. _

_"Release her," Eric 'growled?' at the men. _

_There were three of them, including the one holding me, and they weren't the brightest bulbs. They actually laughed at him. Dumb and crazy. That was the only way that she could describe them. Who the hell would ever laugh at a man like hell? Especially if said man has a very large sword._

_Apparently that was the only chance that he was giving them, because before she knew what was happening, he let out what she could only assume was a battle cry and charged at the two men standing between her and Eric. She stared in horror as their heads were lopped off. She was too shocked by the sight of Eric killing two men, that it took her a while to notice a few things. _

_Like the fact that the bodies pretty much blew apart, leaving...eww, chunks. Or that her captor had let her go and was running in the opposite direction, but most of all it took her at least a full minute to realize that her panties were dripping with arousal. Sookie was shocked but her body didn't seem to care that Eric had just killed two people in front of her. Sure they had been holding her against her will, but that was what the police were for, wasn't it? _

_Despite the arousal her body was feeling, she could feel the wetness of tears on her face, as Eric checked her over. He ran his hands over every inch of her, as if trying to convince himself that she was really there and unharmed. _

_"You're all right?" He asked, his voice no longer a growl, but it was also not anywhere near the lust-filled one that he had used the previous night. This one held concern and fear. Why the hell would he be afraid? _

_If anyone should be afraid, it should be her. She was the one being held captive and he was the one with the big frigging sword. Speaking of the weapon, Eric was still holding it in the hand that was checking her for injuries, giving Sookie a chance to get a good look at it. It looked old, really old, like the ones she had seen during a high school field trip to a museum featuring a traveling exhibition on ancient weapons. She was damn sure he hadn't gotten it at that replica stall they had at the flea market in Monroe._

_The Sookie whose body she was stuck in, so very weird, opened her mouth to reply to him, but was interrupted by the sound of loud muttering coming from behind her. Her body spun around, tensing quickly, only to relax when Pam stepped out of the tree line. Sookie was shocked at her appearance, but her body was quivering from holding back the laughter bubbling inside her._

_Pam was covered in blood, and other stuff that Sookie was very much not interested in investigating, and she was angrily stalking towards them. Sookie felt Eric's chest vibrating against her back, before she heard the loud chuckle. Pam just looked angrier as she pierced the blond man with her eyes._

_"You owe me for this Eric," Pam sneered at him. "Do you have any idea how much this ensemble cost?"_

_"Of course, Pamela," Eric growled. This one very different than the one he had directed at the men. It was almost playful. "I paid for them,"_

_"Well be prepared to pay for them again," Pam snarked. She muttered what sounded like Prada, as she pouted down at her ruined heels, before turning to look more closely at Sookie. "You are all right, right?"_

_Sookie was surprised by the change in the woman's attitude. She went from fuming to worry in seconds. Then Pam did something very strange. She looked at Eric, who had moved out from behind Sookie to stand by her side. At his nod, Pam began checking all over Sookie's body much like Eric had done. When she seemed satisfied, she backed off, but not before running her blood and gore covered hand down Sookie's cheek. _

_"Don't worry, Pam," Sookie finally said. "We're okay. Just a little shaken up. They came out of nowhere. I had no chance to even sense them."_

_"Do we know anything?" Pam directed the question to Eric. _

_"No," he answered. "But we will. This attack will not go unpunished. No one touches what is __**mine**__."_

_"Sookie."_

* * *

"Sookie."

"Pam?" Sookie asked.

"No child, it Gran," the woman replied, smiling at her grand-daughter's confusion. Adele Stackhouse wondered just what the girl had been up to the previous night. She had looked exhausted all day.

"Oh Gran," Sookie blinked up at her. "I'm sorry. I must have dozed off."

"Its fine, Sookie" she chuckled. "It was expected, with how tired you were looking today. Late night?"

"Yes it was," Sookie fought the blush that wanted to rise.

"Did you and Tara have a good time?" Adele asked. She wondered about the blush, and sent off a silent prayer that there might finally be a man that was worthy of her special girl.

"Yes Gran," Sookie answered, while busying herself with gathering her things. Her watch told her that it was just about time for her to get ready to head off to work. "It was change."

"Sometimes change is good," Adele told her. When all Sookie did was nod, she switched tactics. "Now tell me, who is this Pam?"

"Oh, um," she stumbled a little. "She works at the club that Tara took us to, in Shreveport. I think she is the manager."

"She must have made quite an impression," Gran wondered out loud, as she watched her grand-daughter walk into the house. She knew the girl was hiding something, possibly something to do with this Pam, but she held back her worry. She did not think Sookie was that way, but if she decided that she was, Adele vowed to give her all the support that she had always given her.

* * *

Sookie hurried into the house and going straight to her room, bypassing the jewelry box with only a glance, she headed into the bathroom. She moved through her shower and work preparations on autopilot. She was trying to keep her mind blissfully blank, but she kept sifting through the dream. It was very much like the other one she had, while with Eric, as in she was trapped within her own body without any control. The difference was that this time it was not a sexual dream, this time it was filled with horror, fear and death. She shuddered and made another vow that she was never drinking again.

She had thirty minutes before she had to be to work, so she grabbed her things, only stopping in the kitchen for some juice. Once finished, she headed out to her car, dropping her purse in the passenger seat. She was about to walk around the car when she stopped. Sookie ran back into the house, into her room and threw open the cover on the box. She snatched the card up, sliding it into her back pocket. She would give Eric a call on her break, that way if he did blow her off, she would have the excuse of work as a distraction.

A.N. - Okay so I have no excuse for the tardiness of this chapter. The only thing that I can say is that I lost the inspiration when the last season ended. I am totally to blame, as I should have burned out my DVR watching the two seasons over. Instead have watching my usual fall line-up.

When I tell you that those Winchester boys are distracting, I'm not kidding. Before I knew it, my head was filled with all of these story ideas, but sadly I was at a standstill with this one. I am proud to say that I am back, my muse is back, and oh yeah the Viking is back. He's growling at me to move my ass and post this. I live to serve.

I know not much happens in this chappie, but it will all start coming together soon. Eric will be back in the next chapter and he might even take a little trip to our favorite backwater town. Thank you all for the support, the reviews and every single alert!


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

Chapter Eight

Sookie never got the chance to call Eric that night, between Sam looking at her funny and the locals deciding that it was the perfect time to drink a whole lot. She really didn't have the time. It wasn't until the next afternoon, after her Gran had headed over to Maxine Fortenberry's to plan their next meeting, that she was able to call. As soon as her Gran's old station wagon left the driveway, Sookie snatched up his card and headed for the kitchen.

Her hands shook as she dialed the numbers, and she had to stop herself from twisting the cord around her fingers. Her nervousness grew as the call connected and the ringing began. The more rings, the more she paced. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a click.

"This is Eric," she heard and she opened her mouth to give a snappy 'This is Sookie' comeback, but stopped when she heard. "Leave a message."

She was glad no one was home, because her disappointment was probably written all over her face. When she heard the beep, she did the only thing she could think to do. She hung up, or she tried to anyway. The cord of the phone was wrapped around her body, making it impossible to place the receiver back in its cradle. She cursed as she unwrapped herself and hung up, making a mental note to buy a cordless phone the next time she was at the Wal-Mart.

She looked down at the card in her hand, debating calling back and leaving a message. Her hand was on the receiver before the thought hit her. Eric owned a nightclub. He was probably still sleeping after being there all night. If the ringing phone hadn't woken him the first time, it probably would the second. Sookie certainly didn't want to cause him to lose any sleep, or so she told herself when her inner voice called her a coward.

She placed the card in her purse, vowing to find the time to try again later, and headed outside to sun herself before she had to go to work.

* * *

The sun set a little after six that night. As it fell below the horizon, Eric opened his eyes. He lay there for a long moment, trying to push the strange feelings away. It had been a surprise when he had awoken the previous evening and his first thoughts were of Sookie Stackhouse. It was the same this time and his only comfort was that he was alone, instead of sharing a bed with his Childe. As much as he cared about Pamela, she was certainly exasperating.

He rose from his bed, heading straight for the shower, hoping it would wash away the Southern Belle that was haunting him. He had spent his previous night at his club fucking, and feeding, every beauty that crossed his path. Even that could not chase away the images of Sookie.

Every time he closed his eyes he would see her. Her golden hair, that matched his own, her suntanned skin that glowed in the dim lights of the club. He could still see her glorious breasts bouncing as he fucked her, and he swore that he could still taste the sweetness of her cunt and her blood on his tongue. All of the women last night had paled in comparison, their blood had been bland and the sex had been mediocre at best, leaving him unsatisfied.

Eric growled at himself for getting lost once again in the memories of that night. His dick was hard just from thinking of **her**. He wrapped his hand around it, trying to picture just one of the many women that he had in the past, his brain kept drawing her image. He succumbed to his thoughts of her, and it took only seconds before he was shouting out his release. He ignored that it was her name that he called out.

He was dry and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans as he checked the messages on his phone. The first two were from his day-man letting him know that all of his orders had been followed. The third one was from some woman named Anita trying to sell him some time-share in Florida. He growled at the phone as he angrily pushed 7 to delete the message. He briefly wondered if it was a good idea to have his day-man trace the number, so that his fangs could inform Anita and her company just how he felt about telemarketing.

His line of thinking only lasted until he heard the silence and then a softly spoken 'shit' before the call was disconnected. He impatiently waited for the option to replay the message. He listened closely and knew immediately who the caller was, as his dick and something else that he couldn't and wouldn't explain jolted at the four-letter word. He quickly hurried through the rest of his messages, none of them important enough to distract him, before checking the call history.

Eric highlighted the ten digit number. It was the same as the one listed in the file that he had well hidden in his safe. The file that contained the all the information that he had been able to dig up on one Sookie Stackhouse. There hadn't been much, but he now knew that she lived with her paternal grandmother, Adele, and had an older brother. They were her only living immediate family. Her parents had died when she was young and she had lived with Adele ever since.

She had been telling the truth about being a waitress at a place called Merlotte's. Eric had also looked into the business and its owner. He had only been slightly amused to find that her boss, Sam Merlotte, was a shape shifter. His amusement had passed when he thought of the shifter being able to smell vampire on his employee. He had made a note to pay Merlotte a visit on his next trip to Bon Temps, if he made a next trip to the backwater town.

He looked again at the number and quickly pressed the call button, only to just as quickly disconnect it and delete the number. Satisfied that he had overcome the temptation, he slid the phone into his pocket and finished getting dressed. He tried to push all thoughts of Sookie Stackhouse out of his mind as he headed off to his club, hoping that tonight was the night that he would find someone worthy of forgetting the girl once and for all.

* * *

Sookie finally got up the courage to call Eric again, that same night on her break. This time his phone went right to voicemail, but she figured he was probably busy trying to run a business. She was proud of herself when she left a message. She didn't hesitate or stutter once as she identified herself and relayed her phone number for him. She was also pleased that she avoided sounding desperate to hear from him.

She had a smile wide enough to break her face, but different from her 'Crazy Sookie' smile, as she went back to work. She was so happy that she found it easy to ignore the strange looks she was getting from the customers and her fellow employees. Of course, the looks that Sam was still throwing her way were still daunting but she was too excited to pay him any mind. She went home that night and happily crawled into bed. As she closed her eyes, she only hoped that Eric would once again be the star of her dreams.

_Images quickly flew through her mind. She saw flashes of Eric, his beauty making her want to weep. She also saw Pam smiling, something that felt weird even in her dreams. She saw Gran smiling at her with tears in her eyes and Jason looking happy and uncomfortable, all at once. She saw another man or maybe a teenager, she wasn't sure who he was, but he looked dashing in his cream colored clothes. _

_The flashes were moving so fast, but they all seemed like happy things. Each one made her giddy and her heart soar. Her brain was still trying to process it all, so it caught her completely by surprise, when her dreams turned bloody. She saw a man that she vaguely remembered seeing at _Insatiable_, the lower part of his face was covered in blood and he was growling. She saw another man, this one she was sure she knew, but she couldn't place him. He looked so angry. She saw Dawn dead and Jason in jail. She saw herself in a mirror covered in blood and she was terrified. _

_She tried to wake herself up, she just wanted to get away from this insanity, but then he was there. His arms wrapped around her and she was able to bury her face in his hard chest. He whispered to her, telling her that it would all be okay, that nothing could touch her as long as she was his. When she pulled away from him there was no more blood, she turned to look in the mirror again, but it wasn't there. Instead they were standing in a bedroom, the same one that she had seen in the first dream, and then Eric was smiling at her. He was kissing her and everything was alright._

_

* * *

_

It was just after closing, when he felt it. Eric had been in the middle of fucking a bottle blonde, who was currently bent over his desk. She was a pale comparison to the one that he really wanted but she would at least be able to satisfy his hunger. He had just sunk his fangs into the back of her shoulder, when a flash of terror had come over him. His mind first went to Pam, but his Childe was in the middle of her own meal for the night safely in the storage room. Another wave of terror made him expand his senses, only to come up with the one name he had been trying to avoid all night.

Sookie...

He barely noticed the blonde that was no longer bent over his desk. Her anger meant nothing to him. Neither did her terror when she noticed the blood on his mouth. She was screaming as she ran out the door, but it only lasted a moment. Not even a minute had gone by before Pam was before him, asking him some inane question that he ignored. Eric was too busy reaching out across the thin link that he now shared with the human he wanted nothing more than to forget.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the tiny thread that connected them. It wasn't long before he realized that she was asleep. She was in the throes of some silly human nightmare, and even though he was angry that he had let it spoil his pleasure and his meal, he allowed soothing waves to flow through to her. He opened his eyes to see Pam staring at him strangely.

"What?" he barked at her.

"Your enjoyment just ran out of here screaming her head off," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. "What the hell happened?"

If she wasn't his Childe, his only one at that, he would have staked her right then and there. However, she was right to ask. Their lives were at a precarious turning point right now. In just a few short months, the development of synthetic blood would allow them to reveal themselves to the world. Vampire would live among human, no longer living with the fear of discovery. If things went according to plan, they would soon have the same rights as humans.

"Did you take care of it?" Eric asked. He already knew the answer, but he was also trying hard not to show how spooked the whole thing had made him. He was over a thousand years old. He should not care about what some 'backwater Southern Belle telepath' was having nightmares about.

"Of course, Eric," Pam answered. "I had only just finished with my blood bag when I heard the screams. Did something happen to..."

"No, everything is fine," he cut her off. He stood up to leave, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. Pam took the hint and left him without asking any more questions. She was smart, she always had been, and she knew when to back down. However, if this progressed any further, Eric was fully aware that he would have to inform her.

He left the club, fighting the pull to turn onto the highway and head to Bon Temps the whole way home. This would have to be dealt with. It was too dangerous for him to be close to a human at this time. He would have to monitor the link, as weak as it was. It had almost ruined everything that they had been working hard for. Until he could find a solution, Eric knew that the best way to forget the girl was to immerse himself in the depravity that was his usual life.

As he was sending a text to his day-man with instructions of things he wanted done, he noticed that he had a voicemail. Instead of listening to it, he checked the call history. It was her, she had called at nine. He played the message, hearing her perky little voice as she identified herself and left him her number, did nothing to improve his mood. He quickly erased the message and sent another text off requesting a new phone and number. With that done, he hurled the phone against the wall, watching with satisfaction as it smashed into pieces.

* * *

When Sookie woke up the next morning, she was still smiling as brightly as she was the night before. Not even her dreams were going to bring her down today. Besides it had started good and ended even better, so what that it had been terrifying in the middle. She showered and dressed with care, wondering all the while if she would hear from Eric today.

She made it downstairs just in time to help Gran with breakfast and then help her with the cleaning and some yard work. She kept her ear out for the phone, but she really wasn't expecting to hear from him that early in the day. After a quick lunch of sandwiches and potato salad, she decided it was still too early for him to call, so she headed off to Wal-Mart. She found a cheap cordless phone with two handsets and even splurged on a sexy little bra and panty set that she thought Eric would love to see her in.

She checked out as quickly as she could and was headed back home. Her happiness waned as she was driving through town and passed Dawn Green, who was headed into the post office. Her mind drifted back to her dream and she could see Dawn lying dead in the middle of a bed. She pushed those thoughts away. It was only a dream after all. Sookie had had plenty of nightmares of people she knew dying and she told herself that this one was no different. She turned up the radio and sang along with Carrie Underwood, concentrating on the lyrics and the road instead of the pale lifeless corpse of her co-worker.

As soon as she was home, she hurried inside, showing her Gran the new phone, but not the bra and panty set. She plugged the main set into the jack in the parlor and the other one into the plug in her room. She busied herself with laundry and other menial chores, trying not to let her disappointment show as the phone never rang once. By the time she was ready for work her happiness was almost completely gone.

Sookie threw herself into her work that night and the next one. Each day that passed, each time the phone rang and it wasn't Eric, sent her good mood spiraling down the drain. By Thursday night, she could barely keep a smile on her face. Usually she would turn to the people around her for some happiness but besides Gran there was no one. Sam was still acting funny around her and she had found it was just easier to avoid him if she could, and Tara was too busy with work.

On her way out of work that night, she got a bit of hope, from an unlikely source. Merlotte's cook, Lafayette Reynolds, was standing by her car waiting as she stepped out the door. Sookie smiled at him, they weren't BFF's, but they were definitely friendly. She had always admired the man. It took a lot of balls to dress and act as openly as he did in a small southern town like Bon Temps.

"Hi Lafayette," Sookie smiled, probably the first real one tonight.

"Don't you 'hi Lafayette' me, girl," he said, sounding a little angry.

Sookie frowned, wondering what she had done to him. After everything that had happened, she didn't want him to be angry with her. She fought back tears, thinking that she was really alone in the world. Did no one care about her but her Gran?

"Oh no you don't," Lafayette said, no longer sounding harsh. "Don't you dare start crying."

"I'm sorry," Sookie sniffled.

"No honey, I'm the one should be sorry," he told her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I didn't mean to sound angry. Was just trying to figure out what was happening 'round here."

"What do you mean?" Sookie asked.

"Sam, for starters," He answered her softly. "He's looking like someone kicked his dog. Been that way since the day after you and Tara went off to Shreveport."

Sookie straightened up, feeling like a fool for thinking that Lafayette had cared a bit about her. He was only out here because Sam was acting strangely. She clutched her keys in her hand. Ready to tell him that she had no idea what Sam Merlotte's problems were and that he should go ask him.

"Don't get huffy," he said chuckling. "I ain't finished. 'Cause you've been acting just as strange. You was all happy one minute and know ya walking around like ya found out Santa Claus ain't real. What's going on, Sookie?"

So she told him, everything minus a few intimate details, but her blushing face must have given her away. She laid it all out there, in the employee parking lot of Merlotte's. She must have started crying by the end of her story because Lafayette handed her a hankie, which she thanked him for.

"So this Eric ain't returned your call?"

She shook her head no, feeling foolish. She was supposed to be an adult, but here she was crying and blubbering over a man that she had only met once. It made her feel like a teenage girl, one of the ones she remembers seeing in the bathrooms of her high school crying because some jock took her and tossed her out like yesterday's trash. Of course, she made herself forget that most of the time it was Jason that had been the jock.

"Here's what we gonna do," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Me and you are gonna head out to this club tomorrow night and see what's the what with your 'Golden God.' You got me?"

"I don't know, Lafayette," Sookie told him. "I don't want to be that girl."

"Bitch, you will never be that girl," he told her seriously. She knew better than to take offense to being called bitch. It was an endearment coming from him. "Besides your just showing a friend the best club that Shreveport has to offer. Right?"

"I guess," she told him, still not sure.

"Good, I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow night."

Then he was gone. Sookie shook her head and wiped the rest of her tears away before driving home. She fell into an uneasy sleep that night, but her dreams were a blur. There was no Eric in them, not for the last two nights, and in the morning she still felt the same loneliness that she had the previous morning.

She kept busy all day. Trying to enjoy the sun and the latest mystery that she had picked up from the library. She did little things to keep her mind off everything that had happened and everything that would happen tonight. She almost called Lafayette hundred times to cancel their plans, but she decided that he was right. If Eric didn't want anything to do with her then he should be man enough to tell her. A quick phone call to her would have cleared up any confusion. It wasn't like she had expected anything to come out of their night together, it had been him that had given her hope.

All with that stupid business card, the one that she had torn into little pieces after she had gotten out of the shower. She was shaved, made up and dressed when Lafayette knocked on the front door. She was even wearing her new lingerie set. It gave her just a little hope. Gran was talking to Lafayette when Sookie made her way down the stairs. They both said goodnight, Lafayette assuring Gran that he would take real good care of her baby girl, and then they were on their way.

* * *

Eric was sitting in his booth with Pam. Both were searching the crowded club for their next conquests. Pam was looking for a redhead tonight, but Eric wasn't being too picky. As long as she wasn't blonde, he had ignored every one that had come his way, whether she was a real blonde or not. He watched as Pam got up, throwing a smirk his way, and approached a pale woman with hair so red it looked like blood. He kept his eyes on them as they made their way to the bar.

A pretty brunette caught his eye after a few minutes. She was wearing leather pants and a purple corset that pushed her breasts up to the point of almost exposure. He held her stare, imploring her to come to him and he smiled as she strutted his way. He held out his hand for her and helped her slide onto his lap. She smelled of sweat and too much cheap perfume, but at least she wasn't blonde. He was about to stand and lead her to his office, when he noticed his Childe walking his way as quickly as she could in the presence of humans.

"Stay here," he commanded the brunette. Her eyes were slightly glazed and she stayed rooted to the floor. He turned back to find Pam right in front of him.

"She's here," his Childe told him.

Eric didn't need to ask who **she **was, he knew. He would have known a lot sooner if he hadn't been keeping a steady hold on the link for the last couple of days. It seemed that Ms. Stackhouse had returned to _Insatiable_. He knew that it would happen eventually, he had been holding out hope that she would wait longer. He was sure that he was close to finding a solution to his little blonde problem, at least one that did not involve snapping her neck or draining her dry.

He searched the crowd, using his height to his advantage. She was easy to spot. She glowed, her hair, her skin. The dark blue dress she was wearing seemed to float around her, enhancing her beauty. Eric could smell her scent from across the bar. He watched as she smiled and began talking to a tall black man. It was then that he noticed that she was not alone. He growled, not even realizing it, until Pam put her hand on his arm. No one had seemed to notice over the loud music, but one could never be too careful.

Eric felt his body relax as he studied the man with Sookie. He was talking, laughing and touching her, but he was also watching the muscular Hispanic man sitting at the bar. Sookie may have brought another man to his club, but it was definitely not a date. His Sookie had more class than that.

**His Sookie**.

He shook those thoughts from his head, wondering if there was a way to use her appearance to his advantage. Eric turned to look at the brunette still standing in the spot that he had left her. A plan was forming. One that would insure that he would never see Sookie Stackhouse again. He looked at Pam, who was giving him and uneasy look. She was more than likely feeling the same pull that she had previously felt when in the telepath's presence. The same pull that he was feeling right at this moment.

"Wait fifteen minutes and then send her to my office," Eric commanded her.

She looked as if she wanted to protest, but she knew better than to disobey him on this matter. Instead she bowed her head, no longer meeting his eyes and replied like a good Childe. "Yes, Master."

Eric returned to the woman and took her hand. "Come."

* * *

Pam watched as Eric left with the brunette, just another in a long line of them. She turned around, giving her meal choice and almost sorrowful look, before blending into the crowd. She stalked her Master's blonde, watching as her and the man with her got themselves drinks from the bar. She kept them in her sights as she made her way to the door.

Clancy was working as the doorman and he gave her the information that she needed. Lafayette Reynolds, another resident of Bon Temps. Pam was very good at picking up on things and one look at him told her that he was like her. He enjoyed the company of members of the same sex. This gave her some relief, as in she would not have to ruin any of her wardrobe disposing of his body.

Of course, she had no idea what Eric's plans were for Sookie, but she did not think that he was going to harm her. Not physically anyway. Pam was still confused by the girl. She seemed normal enough, beautiful and still quite innocent, even after spending a night in Eric's company. None of that explained the pull that she seemed to have on the two of them. It certainly did not explain her Master's behavior either.

Eric was a lover of many, but the past week had been a nightmare, even for Pam. The number of woman that were paraded through his office was definitely a record, quite close to being triple digits. Pam had never seen Eric act the way he had been. She was reminded of the other night when the last woman of the night had run from his office screaming.

Pam had just finished her own meal, using her glamour and sending her out the back door, when it had started. She had caught the girl, glamoured her quickly and licked the wound on her shoulder closed, before hurrying into Eric's office. He had been sitting on the sofa, his member was still exposed and he had his eyes closed.

When she asked him what had happened, he basically ignored her. Never in her centuries of knowing him, had she ever been nervous by his behavior. When he finally began to talk, it was only because of a dirty move on her part. She had begun to ask if it had something to do with his Maker, knowing that mentioning **him** would get a response. Of course, it did not get her any answers, but it did clue her into Eric's frame of mind.

The next night when he had come to the club, he had a new cell phone and a new number to go with it, and the parade of women got even larger. If he had been human, Pam knew that he would not have been able to survive them all. She did begin to wonder though, just how long was he going to be able to keep it up, even with vampire stamina.

A glance told her that her time was up. She made her way to the blonde, allowing the pull that she had to draw her in. She stopped halfway to Sookie and sent off a silent apology to the enchanting creature for what she was about to do, because she was sure it was not going to be good. Pam began moving again, and just as it had been the first time, Sookie looked up and met her gaze before she was even near.

She had a nervous smile on her face, but she held eye contact. She must have stopped in mid-conversation though causing the man to turn and look also. Pam, however, never took her eyes from the girl. She stopped just inches from the two of them, taking her time to inhale the sweet scent of the blonde.

"Hello Pam," Sookie greeted her. "How are you?"

"Hello Sookie," Pam replied, surprised at the girl's manners under the circumstances. "I am well. Eric would like to see you."

"I would like to see him also," she said with just a hint of sass.

"Follow me," Pam said, silently applauding the girl. It was short lived though, as Pam knew exactly what was to come. The sweet innocent was not going to be quite so innocent anymore.

"I'll find you when I'm finished," Sookie said to her companion, who nodded his head and gave her an encouraging smile.

As they walked towards the back of the club, Pam felt Sookie take her hand, holding it as she led them through the throng of people. Pam cursed her very existence, and her Maker's right along with it. She wanted to turn to the blonde, to tell her to run and never return. Anything to keep from shattering her pure heart, but a command was a command.

* * *

Holding Pam's cool hand in hers, Sookie allowed the woman to lead her towards the employee area. She could feel the excitement building inside her at the thought of seeing Eric again. They made it through the swinging door and into the corridor, walking until they both stood in front of the closed door of his office.

Sookie let go of Pam's hand, still not understanding her attachment to the woman, but not questioning it either. She looked into the woman's face, noticing the almost sad little smile that she wore. Pam raised her hand to knock on the door, but Sookie stopped her before she could.

"Thank you, Pam," she said. She could have sworn that the smile dulled and that gave her a feeling of trepidation.

"Goodbye, Sookie," Pam replied, not meeting her eyes. She knocked on the door and was gone before Sookie could say anymore.

"Enter!"

Sookie put a bright smile on her face. That voice, his voice, turned her knees weak. She hadn't even seen him yet and she was all ready to forgive him anything just by the sound of his voice. She turned the knob in her hand and pushed the door open.

Her smile faded and the tears began to flow, as she took in the scene. It was like one of those movies, except this was real life. There was Eric, long golden hair and killer blue eyes, looking right into hers as he pumped himself in and out of a woman who was moaning while bent over his desk.

Sookie felt herself begin to crumble, but she refused to do it here, in front of him. She turned on her heel and ran towards the back door. All she could think was that he hadn't even stopped when he saw it was her, instead he had smiled.

A/N: Okay, first up... I am sorry. Please don't hate me. It was difficult to write this chapter, very, very difficult. That last scene has been in my head since the beginning, but trying to get the rest was a nightmare. I will remind you all that I did say that it would not be an Eric and Sookie meet and fall deeply in love, happily ever after story. It will get there, but not anytime soon. This chapter was the end to the beginning, so hold on to your hats because that means we'll be getting to the good stuff real soon.

I want to thank every one of you all for the reviews, faves and alerts. They feed me the inspiration that I need. I also want to thank my Viking, because without him my dreams and delusions would be boring as hell. See you all soon!


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I have no rights to the characters in this story, only ownership of any OC's that I may bring in, the rest belong to the lovely Charlaine Harris.

A/N: As I start this chapter, it hasn't even been a full day since I posted the previous one. I have read all of the reviews so far, thanks to you all, and I am surprised by the lack of flames sent my way. There were a couple that hated it and one who has decided not to continue reading at all. I am sorry for that and I wish that 'Lost One' would have allowed me to reply through a PM, but I guess you can't win them all. I hope that they change their mind, because Eric may have been an ASSHOLE, but he will see the error of his ways. To the rest I can only say that I love you all. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

After her last night at _Insatiable_, Sookie Stackhouse's life dramatically changed. She could only vaguely remember that night. She couldn't really understand Eric's motivation. Why he felt the need to have Pam bring her to his office, while he was doing **that**? A simple phone call would have cleared up any expectations on her part, but like Lafayette told her on their way back to Bon Temps that night. Men are the stupidest creatures to ever walk the planet.

Lafayette was the exception to the rule, in Sookie's book anyway. That night had changed their relationship forever. Without him she would have probably crawled into her bed and never left it again. He was her shoulder to cry on and he was her rock.

When she had exited the back door of the club, she headed straight to the car. It took her a moment to find it, only because she had forgotten that she had come with Lafayette. Fear had swept through her at the thought of having to go back inside to find him, but that changed when moments later, he was there. His arms had enveloped her, supporting her as he unlocked the doors and helped her into the passenger seat.

It was later that she found out the Pam had found him and told him that he would be needed outside. On the way home, Sookie choked out what had happened and after Lafayette had given her his little pearl of wisdom on the nature of the male species, the car remained silent. When they reached her house, they had sat there for some time. Sookie tried to get her emotions under control, fearing that if she happened to wake Gran up, she would break down completely.

When she was satisfied that she would be able to make it up to her room without falling apart, she thanked Lafayette for everything. He encouraged her to call him if she needed anything, day or night. She gave him a small smile and kissed him on the cheek. As she was getting out of his car, he stopped her. He hesitantly explained that Pam had given him her number.

"In case you ever needed her," he said. "I know she's a part of this whole fucked up thing, girl, but she seemed genuinely concerned. Take it, throw it away if you want, but maybe she could be an ally. Us girls have got to stick together."

Sookie took the card, yet another plain business card holding just a name and number, and thanked Lafayette again. She got out of the car and entered the house as quietly as she could. When she made it up to her room, she looked more closely at the card.

_Pamela Ravenscroft._

The name made her giggle, just a little. Poor Pam, but really who was she to talk. It wasn't like Sookie was at the top of any baby name list. And with that, Sookie's heart mended just a bit. She wedged the card into the slot on her mirror and headed for the bathroom. She washed away the dirtiness she was feeling and when she got out she felt somewhat better. She laid down and said her prayers, making sure to include Lafayette and Pam among her usual for Gran and Jason. As she closed her eyes against the tears that started to fall, she silently asked God to keep a certain blond out of her dreams.

* * *

Niall was furious. He had known that the Viking was powerful and very willful. It was those very characteristics that had made him the best choice. How had he gone against magic that strong? It should have been impossible, but apparently it wasn't.

The Prince had watched as the vampire struggled against the magical compulsion to visit his great-granddaughter. The more he fought it, the stronger Niall wielded the spell, and still the Viking had just shrugged it off.

It was too late now. The damage had already been done. His whole plan had been to keep Sookie safe and all his work had accomplished was to bring her heartache. The vampire was supposed to protect her from the future, from the devious plans of the supernatural community that would do everything that they could to use her. It was all supposed to keep her safe and it had all been for naught.

Niall would beg her for forgiveness if he could, but his presence in her life would put her in more danger than anything that the other creatures could do. He had seen that path, and it led to horrific things. Those events are what he was trying to prevent by his continued absence in her mortal life.

It was not every day that the Prince was willing to admit that he had been wrong. However, today was not one of those days. He still felt that he had made the right choice. Sookie was tied to the vampire whether he liked it or not. His great-granddaughter was resilient. She was already beginning to heal with the help of her friend and surprisingly the Viking's Childe. She would bounce back and grow to be stronger for what was to come.

As for the Viking himself, let him hope that his Norse Gods still have a liking for him, as he has much to make up for. He will see the error of his ways, as would Niall himself. Until then, Niall made the decision to with draw the compulsion spell, hoping that it would keep the vampire at a distance until Sookie was ready to see him again. Niall had one final laugh at the vampire before going back to his business.

* * *

When Eric entered his club, the night after his plan to get Sookie Stackhouse out of his life, he knew something was wrong. Firstly, his Childe was not waiting there as she usually was. There were no reports on his desk, nothing for him to sign, and he actually had to go out to the bar himself to find the information he was seeking.

Pam was nowhere in sight, not that he expected her to be, as he could not feel her presence in the area at all. Clancy was behind the bar, stocking the supplies at vampire speed before the human employees arrived. The vampire nodded to Eric as he approached. "Master."

"Where is Pamela?" Eric asked, not acknowledging the greeting.

"I have not seen her since last night, Master," Clancy replied. "I did find these on the bar when I came in."

Eric took the stack of papers that the other vampire handed to him. It was everything that he had looked for on his desk, and on top was an envelope with his name on it. It was his Childe's writing that stared up at him. He made his way back to him office and completed all the necessary paperwork, all the while ignoring the envelope. He took his time signing everything, emailing his reports to Sophie-Anne and faxing the supply orders. When he could put it off no longer he picked up the envelope.

_Master,_

_I am sure that you are displeased that I did not wait for you to appear this evening before I left. I have decided to go away for a short time. You can expect my presence at the club Tuesday night. _

_It is difficult for me to write this, only because I cannot explain why I am feeling the way that I am. I have seen many things in the centuries since you brought me over and still I am at a loss. There is something special about the Stackhouse girl. I am sure that you know of what I speak, or you at least suspect. I have always been obedient to you, my loyalty is forever yours, but what you had me do last night was wrong. I know that we are at a turning point, that our lives will hang in the balance in a few months and you will do everything in your power to insure that our transition goes smoothly. However, I find it unnecessary to behave as you have. I can only hope that you will not live to regret your decision concerning the girl._

_I ask, as your obedient Childe, that you will respect my wishes and not summon me back to you. I know you, as my Maker, have that right, but I find the need to remind you that you released me many years ago to do as I wished. This is my wish._

_Your Childe,_

_Pamela Ravenscroft_

Eric read the letter twice before placing it in the shredder next to his desk. His Childe had left him, something that she had never done before. Even when he had released her, she had been reluctant to go, and had returned quickly when he summoned her to his side. She assured him that she would return and that she would only be taking a few days off. She hadn't even mentioned shopping, if that wasn't a sign that something was going on, Eric did not know what was.

He allowed his mind to forget Pam for a moment and drift back to the night before. He had felt them approach, Sookie's excitement had given him the 'rise' that he had been lacking up until that point and while he could feel Pam coming closer, he had closed the connection between them. Her disappointment was a foreign feeling to even her and he had added to the list of things that had been going wrong since Sookie Stackhouse had walked into his club a week before.

The brunette had been looking at him funny, his glamour must have slipped, but he distracted her by inserting himself inside her. He had just begun to move as the knock came. He closed his eyes and called out for them to enter. As the knob turned he opened his eyes and stared at the blonde as she swung the door open. Her pain was instant, and his dick was soft, even before she turned and ran.

"Hey," the brunette cried out, anger written all over her face.

"Leave now," Eric commanded, as he put himself away and zipped his pants. She was gone moments later. Eric grabbed his jacket and headed out the same direction that Sookie had. He could still feel her, her pain was radiating through him, but he had to ignore it. He could not let her interfere with their plans.

Everything would have been so much easier if he was only able to glamour her. He would be able to focus on his work, without having to worry about her discovery. Eric was far from stupid, though. He knew there were other forces at work here. He was just at a loss when it came to what those forces were exactly. It was too much to think about at the moment. The Queen was breathing down his neck, figuratively, and the other vampires were getting restless. Throw in the rest of the Supes and it was far from a party.

He watched her from the corner of the building, his eyes having no trouble picking up her hunched figure. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, to apologize to her for his stupidity. What he really wanted to do was tell her everything, to trust her with it all, but he could not risk it. If it was found out he might as well stay in this very spot until dawn, as his life would most assuredly be forfeit.

Eric stayed watching as her friend came out and held her, as he himself wanted to do. He watched as she was placed in the car and driven away from him. Even then he stayed there, feeling every bit of her pain and sorrow. He knew that he should close the link, instead he left it open. That was his punishment.

It was earlier that morning, just before he went to his bed, that he felt the tingle. It was the same that he had felt that first night with Sookie. The air surrounding him felt lighter somehow and he knew that whatever magic that had been put on him was now gone. He took stock of himself and let out a laugh that held not even an ounce of happiness. Whatever magic had been at work had nothing to do with his need for the girl. The air may have been lighter but the pain in his chest remained.

His cell phone ringing interrupted his thoughts and brought him back to the present. The caller ID read that it was Andre, Sophie-Anne's lapdog. Eric sighed knowing that this night was going to be a long one and it had only just begun.

A/N: So this was just a short little chapter to help tie up any loose ends. Next up we will be working in fast forward. The Great Reveal will be coming up soon and we'll get to see just what Niall was up to. More Lafayette and Pam, some other characters that I really can't stand, but they have to have their parts too. As for the Viking, well he will begin to pay for his mistakes. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

On a side note, I have to tell you all about the most adorable thing that I saw today. I was in the drug store buying nail polish, 'cause I'm kind of a nail freak. I came across these press-on nail thingies, something that I would never usually buy in a million years, but they were just so perfect I had to. Back in the day, I used to go and have my nails done all the time, airbrushed designs and all. I've always had a thing for vamps, but they never had any stencils of fangs. So disappointing right, but you all have to check these things out. THEY ARE PERFECT! Check out my avatar on my profile, the pic should be up soon.


	11. AN Sorry!

A/N: First off I just want to say how much I appreciate the reviews and the story alerts. You guys are the best. As for my absence, let's just say that RL has kicked my ass and spit me out. I've spent a long time computer-less and then internet-less for so long it was almost scary to get sucked back into it. Having been away that long hasn't been great on my muse, but there are some ideas floating around in here somewhere. Unfortunately, as I decided to try to pick this story up again, I have reread it and found it to be lacking on the inspiration. So I'm sorry to say that Blood Magic will be no more for an unforeseeable amount of time. I am not taking it down, because I know how fickle fate can be. It will stay up, just in case something strikes me, but I won't be adding to it anytime soon.

Thank you all again for the support and I hope to see you soon.


End file.
